Faces of Mangwaneni

Here are some of the children at our other CarePoint -- Mangwaneni (Mawn-gwah-nay-nee)!
I hope you enjoy them. I'm not the photographer Jordan is but I had a blast taking them. As you can tell in a lot of the pictures it was meal time.

It looked so good even I had to try some!! Yebo (yes) I'm using my fingers!!

Faces of Fonteyn

Just been taking some pictures over the last month that I wanted to share so you can get to see some of the kids at each of our CarePoints of Oasis @ Swaziland. Today is Fonteyn and if the Internet and my schedule permit I will upload Mangwaneni tomorrow.

Check out Jordan's Blog

Jordan, the strong sensitive type! Who knew??? He's being very impactful and "responsible" for all those who were worried about how he would make it out here.

He is afraid that no one will check out his blog. He claims the "whole" church reads mine so to post his so you will all start tuning into his too.

I have listed him on the side with my other blog connections but here it is also. Go check it out!!

http://jordanflores.wordpress.com

Neither of us could be making the differences we are without you!!! Thanks!!!

"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

We are Women!!!

The cooks @ Fonteyn and I went collecting firewood.

Watch us work! We had a great time! Even taught them to take a picture of me. I won't show you the other ones as they learned how to get me "in" the picture.

I'm finding it fun to go out in the woods. They haven't let me use the saw yet. Make Motza is just too skilled with it! I did try a little balancing on my head!

Thank You!!

Just wanted to take the time to say thank you to all those at the Oasis Church for the new truck. I never considered myself a truck kind of gal!! But with God, nothing's impossible!!

It is such a blessing to have my home church take such good financial care of me. The other missionaries are envious that I have a church who committed to making sure I have a consistant base coverage every month and not have to stress about fluctuating contributions. So thank you!And for all those from other churches and sources who send the monthly support to the Oasis Church that helps make up that base coverage THANK YOU!!! I could not do this alone!!

If you want to help support me monthly or just a one time gift. You can send it to

The Oasis Church

3275 Tig Knight Rd.

Loganville, GA 30052

and designate it for missionary support of Sandra Chesterman

I've already used my "bakkie" (bah-key) which is truck in Siswati, to help collect and haul firewood with the cooks @ Fonteyn CarePoint. We're scheduled to do it again on Friday and I'll try and take pictures this time and post them next week.

How do you like my Vanna White pose?

Confessions of a Missionary

Ever think you have it all together and realize that you have left God out of the equation!! That’s me!!
God is good though and opened my eyes to my lack of dependence on Him yesterday and showed me my PRIDEFUL attitude. In my Bible Study “Having a Mary Spirit” it says “A prideful attitude is really mutiny against our Maker because it assumes we’re the ones in charge of the universe. Certain we’re right. Determined to have our way. Stubbornly refusing to bend or bow to anyone, including God.” Ouch!! And so how I behaved the last 2 days!!
It started with a major melt down when I came to the hospital Monday night and broke down, blew up and got self righteous over the condition Pepe was left in. The details aren’t as important as the fact I felt I had to “save the day”. Yesterday, I was at the 2 Oasis @ Swaziland CarePoints. I saw problems arise both logistical and relational and I tried to problem solve and come up with practical solutions. When I was back at the hospital last night I did not trust that the nurses were doing their job adequately and called the doctor to come check Pepe out because she seemed more lethargic and seeming to me (the expert) to be regressing.
God called me on all of it last night. "What did you bring to me in all of this? I should have been the first one you brought all of this too." He pointed out that I cannot fix any of this. I am not in control, He is. He is sovereign and He does not need to rely on the nurses or Sandra’s practical problem solving skills to accomplish anything. He told me hands off until He leads me otherwise. Litterally, I was to stay in bed and not “jump to Pepe’s rescue” unless she called out to me. And you know what, she didn’t. God gave me a physical example of how much I want to be in control and not sit back and wait, expecially on Him. Forgive me for my arrogance. Pray that I can be obedient to God but more importantly put Him back in the center of my daily life.

Even though it sounds such "noble" as struggle in "Africa", it is the same ones I had in the US and probabably you struggle with every day. How little we let God in on even the little problems we face every day, when He is so much better at handling them.
My prayer in my “Battlefield of the Mind” Devotional today was. “Wise and wonderful God, sometimes things don’t make sense to me, but nevertheless, I want to be in Your will. Help me develop opportunity to serve You. Teach me to trust You more, and help me to obey You quickly instead of trying to reason things out.” (I so try to reason everything out!) I Corinthians 2:12 says “And God has actually given us His Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”
I’m so glad as my “Having a Mary Spirit” states: “Correction is not rejection. And “rebuke is always a gift to our souls.” Thank you for the gift to my soul last night.

Pepe Update

I’ve been lax in my blogging due to burning my candle at 3 ends not just two. For those of you who are keeping track of me, you will remember me telling you about Pepe, the little girl who stole my heart in Jan. If you are new to my blog you can look in the Archives for Jan.
Pepe’s health declined radically a few weeks ago. She was down to 13.9 kg (about 30 lbs) and had that malnourished skin and bones look. As sick as she was in Jan. she never had that drawn look she does now. Teresa was notified by the house mother that Pepe was getting sicker.
Tests came back that Pepe has drug resistant TB. She is in isolation in a private clinic that donated a room in its old wing away from the other patient’s. This sounds strange but I’m thankful that Pepe was too sick to be able to be in the government hospital because the conditions are so bad there. Her current accommodations are very simple but adequate.
God has blessed me to be in the right place with the right giftings - comforter. Pepe is attached to the house mother at the orphanage but Make (mah-gay meaning mother) Kate cannot leave the other children to help care for Pepe. I am the one Children’s Cup missionary who is a mother but have no family with me here. Pepe needed a caregiver to help her adjust to the isolation and lack of being able to go home. I moved in a small makeshift room next to hers. I still go to the office during the day but I spend my nights at the clinic with Pepe. “Auntie Sandra won’t go home to sleep until Pepe can go home”. It’s been a blessing. It’s not just because Pepe has won my heart, I would do it for any child alone without a caregiver in this situation. I feel honored to be God’s arms that can hold and rock her during this season of her life. God might choose to call her home if her health continues to decline or she will get stronger and go back to the orphanage with Make Kate and be happy and get to play with other children. I’m at peace with either. I’m thankful that God has enabled me to be here for now to calm her fears and help her be at peace with her circumstances as much as possible. I am the caring advocate that does not get frazzled with vomit or tubes but knows enough to help the nurses keep all her 15 or so medications and supplements straight and help some of the feeding tube feedings. They don’t have a continuous drip system here and her stomach is so small she is to get feedings every 2 hours. I just know I could never have let my boys be alone in a hospital for several weeks and I can’t let this child feel abandoned and alone. Keep Pepe in your prayers! She has a long way to go but she is a fighter!
I share all this to keep you updated. Please do not put me up on any pedestal or think I’m saintly because I’m not sleeping in my bed. It’s not that big a sacrifice and I feel blessed beyond the little inconveniences. I haven’t had to grocery shop or cook my breakfast or dinners and the hospital food is healthier and tastier than what I would have cooked. Everyday I have someone who changes my sheets and makes my bed and even mops my floors. I still run home to shower and get a couple of days worth of clothing and do my laundry. I still have bad days and want to lash out at the nurses or at a co-workers or just cry. And there’s not a better feeling than being able to be the instrument of God to fulfill a need.
“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land.” Isaiah 1:19
May I continue to be willing and obedient in the little and big opportunities God sets before me. Thank you for your prayers and emails. It’s so good to have family, friends and churches that support me financially and spiritually and has allowed me these awesome opportunities to grow closer to God.